Deep House Recommendations October 2010

Review: For their twelfth release the ever classy Delusions Of Grandeur imprint welcome Session Victim back into the fold. The German duo ushered in the New Year with the three classy cuts on Left The Building and they've come correct on this new release. "Million Dollar Feeling" is definitely characterised by the intricate drum programming and complemented by deep pads and a truly soulful vocal sample. The soft moogy undertones that resonate subaqueously in the mix towards the end add that extra touch of quality. 4Lux boss Gerd is called on to remix the track, dipping that vocal sample in infectious delay, straightening the groove for a disco kick and laying down some brilliant neon tinged bass echoes. This remix chugs hard! The pace gets dropped on the B Side, an 11 minute low rider called "Time To Let You Down" which shimmers and reverberates through nine minutes of teasing your ears before the glorious full string heavy sample unfurls.

Review: It's been a long time coming but Prime Numbers FINALLY unleash the brilliance that is Discreet Unit's "Shake Your Body Down" on the record buying public. The track has been a staple of the Firecracker/Prime Numbers crew all summer and is destined to fit snugly in the upper echelons of our favourite releases of 2010. Containing one of the warmest basslines these ears have ever heard, "Shake Your Body Down" references first wave Detroit techno and early Chicago house but has a contemporary feel that ensures it a status beyond mere pastiche. Whereas the A Side takes its influence from transatlantic house and techno progenitors, "Twilight" on the flip is steeped in the early European techno sound you'd find on R&S. Crisp driving percussion is slapped around by a violently pulsating acid line to a backdrop of odd brooding siren filled atmospherics. The final act of crunching kick drums and spectral key flourishes just add to the sense of intensity that runs throughout.

Review: The requisite weekly spotlight on a Rush Hour release falls on the ace beat programming skills of Nebraska. As the EP title suggests this is the London production don's fourth EP for our favourite label run out of a record shop in central Amsterdam. "This Is The Way" reveals itself as an immediate highlight, the track building expertly through an oscillating filtered disco groove that prevails before a drop into glorious vocal harmonies. In contrast "Bar Story" slips infectious icy key patterns over a shuffle of overdubbed percussion and vocal edits, before slipping into luminous otherworldly territory around the three minute mark. The lavish Detroit incandescence of "Ras El Hanout" proves to be equally captivating, whilst "Arrondissement" delivers a perfect example of Nebraska's talent for intricate syncopation.

Review: Australian born, London based producer Benjamin Sun follows up his superb efforts on the first two Voyeurhythm 12"s with "Salty Tears", a delicious slice of piano-driven old school house. Featuring a lovely vocal snatch and shuffling percussion, this is best described as one of those tunes that has people rushing to the DJ booth to find out what the hell it is; it becomes an old favourite the very first time you hear it. Flip over for ''Speedway 75'' from Monte Carlo Interchange, a spacey disco odyssey containing just the right mix of analogue bleeps, claps and synth squiggles. Already a firm favourite in the record bags of house music cognoscenti Tiger & Woods, San Soda, The Revenge, Bill Brewster and Jacques Renault, this is a killer.

Review: You've probably already been impressed by Roof light's outing for Highpoint Lowlife this year, but the original white label of "Midas" was so limited it was gone before anyone had a chance to blink. Thankfully Millions of Moments do the right thing and give it a proper release on stush clear vinyl. A brilliantly chopped up dub boogie version of Midnight Star's "Midas Touch" beams across the A Side, but the flip wins out here. An infectious burning disco groove is central to "Palms" but it's the intricately programmed drum edits which make you pay attention throughout.

Review: Deep Transportation don Mike Huckaby teams up with Downbeat label gaffer Jose Rico for this EP made with a Waldorf WAVE Synthesizer. Rico's two efforts that adorn the A-Side have clearly been produced with intricate poise, making it all the more surprising that this is his debut release. Both "Restructure Again" and "About It" are lathered in subtle jazzy deep house chords and subtle yet immediate percussion. Flip over for "Mathematics From The Jazz Rebulic" from Mr Huckaby, who really gives the Waldorf what for. Killer release for the deep house purists.

Review: A collaboration between the late, great Ron Hardy and Gene Hunt - who was just a teenager at the time of the recording "Throwback" has stood the test of time. The title track's doubled up snares and lunging acid line are so raw and primal but still so effective, and the kicks so hard that they are guaranteed to have maximum impact. "216 & Indiana" is also based on heavy percussive elements: this time the thundering claps that became Chicago's staple as well as howling analogue riffs that predate the minimal explosion in Detroit. Finally, "US Studio" reveals a blueprint for the deep house that followed from the Windy City, with vintage synths lapping up against the duo's razor-sharp hi-hats and firing drum patterns.

Review: Another impressive deep house escapade from a man who shares a name with everyone's favourite beer bellied, chain smoking golfer. As expected, organ sounds take control of the title track, with Daly dipping them in warm atmospherics before submerging them in a hypnotic groove that is carried over onto the flipside with some "Organ Track" bonus beats. A simple yet effective jacking jam titled "Track 3" rounds off the EP a€ we just wish it lasted a wee bit longer!

Review: Jamie Odell aka Jimpster shows the deep house pretenders how it's done. The more observant Freerange fans will already be well aware that Odell's father Roger was the drummer for Brit jazz-funk outfit Shakatak, and as such Jimpster has always been able to imbue a jazzy spirit into his house productions that few can match. Such is the case here on the Alsace and Lorraine EP, with classic Motor City chords abounding in the chugging title track, while an insouciant clapping rhythm makes "Inside The Loop" on the flip the Juno favourite.

Review: Rush Hour present the last of five vinyl releases curated by Rick "The Godson" Wilhite, with the final instalment dedicated to the sonic art of Detroit's new school of producers. Marc King bosses the A Side completely with the spectral soul that is "Can U Feel It". Clocking in at nearly nine minutes, this is deep emotive electronic music steeped rich in the tradition of Detroit, the closing few moments retain a truly spine tingling quality. DJ Raybone is the dominant figure on the B Side, collaborating with TJ on "Gone" with resplendent glacial key flourishes riding shuffling syncopation and a moogy bassline with glee. Raybone's effort with Wilhite hits a tougher note, with sharp drums being complemented by intricate orchestral nicks till the money note drops in the form of an intermittent otherworldly melodic shift. Rush Hour could halt their release schedule now and they'd have label of the year sown up.

Review: Delano Smith returns to impressive boutique imprint Undertones with the I Fly EP, and the Detroit producer drops four slices of grooving, chunky deep house. The Mixmode man layers looped chords alongside some spoken work gospel vocals and a shuffling groove on the EP's title track, but flip over to B Side track "One Twenty Three" for the jam that is getting most love in the Juno offices. Replete with beefy club drums, tropical percussion and deliciously warm Motor City atmospherics, it's vintage Smith. Already a favourite in the record bags of MCDE, Jimpster, The Revenge and Osunlade - don't sleep on this one.

Review: Ahead of a retrospective compilation containing some of Recloose's best work, Rush Hour drop the first of two vinyl samplers. Three of the tracks here are the Spelunking EP culled from his long deleted debut for Planet E. The spaced out heavy future funk of "Get There Tonight" still sounds amazing today, while on the flip you get the added bonus of "Land Of The Lost Dance" - an unreleased Recloose track from the same era. Top release.

Review: Sonny Fodera and Phonic Funk take a side each on this late summer sampler from the Salted stable. Fodera drops an energetic groove on "Got You On My Mind", slipping a looped up vocal over midnight synth stabs and a steppy beat before introducing some scattergun sax to break things up. Head for "Musica" by Phonic Funk on the B Side which gets interesting when the electro house synth stabs drop in the mid section.